Related papers: Modelling multiplex testing for outbreak Control

During an infectious disease outbreak, providing accurate answers to policy questions about transmission requires a detailed model of the natural history of infectiousness. Unfortunately, direct measures of infectiousness are generally…

Suppressing SARS-CoV-2 will likely require the rapid identification and isolation of infected individuals, on an ongoing basis. RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests are accurate but costly, making regular testing…

To support the ongoing management of viral respiratory diseases, many countries are moving towards an integrated model of surveillance for SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and other respiratory pathogens. While many surveillance approaches catalysed…

Rapid identification of outbreaks in hospitals is essential for controlling pathogens with epidemic potential. Although whole genome sequencing (WGS) remains the gold standard in outbreak investigations, its substantial costs and turnaround…

Epidemic surveillance is a challenging task, especially when crucial data is fragmented across institutions and data custodians are unable or unwilling to share it. This study aims to explore the feasibility of a simple federated…

Testing for infection with SARS-CoV-2 is an important intervention in reducing onwards transmission of COVID-19, particularly when combined with the isolation and contact-tracing of positive cases. Many countries with the capacity to do so…

The widely used gene quantisation technique, Lateral Flow Device (LFD), is now commonly used to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2. It is enabling the control and prevention of the spread of the virus. Depending on the viral load, LFD have…

This paper develops an agent-based disease spread model on a contact network in an effort to guide efforts at surveillance testing in small to moderate facilities such as nursing homes and meat-packing plants. The model employs Monte Carlo…

The emergence of novel infectious agents presents challenges to statistical models of disease transmission. These challenges arise from limited, poor-quality data and an incomplete understanding of the agent. Moreover, outbreaks manifest…

Early detection of disease outbreaks is of paramount importance to implementing intervention strategies to mitigate the severity and duration of the outbreak. We build methodology that utilizes the characteristic profile of disease…

Epidemiological models for the spread of pathogens in a population are usually only able to describe a single pathogen. This makes their application unrealistic in cases where multiple pathogens with similar symptoms are spreading…

Background: Rapid testing for an infection is paramount during a pandemic to prevent continued viral spread and excess morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine whether alternative testing strategies based on sample pooling can…

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) became a worldwide pandemic with currently no effective antiviral drug except treatments for symptomatic therapy. Flux balance analysis is an efficient method to analyze metabolic networks. It allows…

We estimate the reduction in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 achievable by surveillance testing of a susceptible population at different frequencies, comparing the cases of both the original Wuhan strain and the Delta variant. We estimate the…

We propose a novel testing and containment strategy in order to contain the spread of SARS-CoV2 while permitting large parts of the population to resume social and economic activity. Our approach recognises the fact that testing capacities…

Rapid testing of appropriate specimens from patients suspected for a disease during an epidemic, such as the current Coronavirus outbreak, is of a great importance for the disease management and control. We propose a method to enhance…

Repeat asymptomatic testing in order to identify and quarantine infectious individuals has become a widely-used intervention to control SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In some workplaces, and in particular health and social care settings with…

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has emphasized the importance and challenges of correctly interpreting antibody test results. Identification of positive and negative samples requires a…

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, government policy and healthcare implementation responses have been guided by reported positivity rates and counts of positive cases in the community. The selection bias of these data calls into question…

During the early stages of respiratory virus outbreaks, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the efficient utilize of limited nasopharyngeal swabs for rapid and accurate screening is crucial for public…